Los Angeles (18th to 20th of March 2019)

We landed in LA on Monday 18th in the evening. From the airport we took the FlyAway bus to Hollywood. It took us a bit more than normal to reach our airbnb because apparently the bus needed gas but couldn't do it because of an issue. It was funny because we stopped 2 times and the driver tried to do something but finally nothing at all was done but we still arrived at destination.

The day after we went to Burbank and tried to be part of the live audience of the recording of the 20th episode of the last season of "The Big Bang Theory". We had only stand-by tickets, so we new from the beginning that the chances were small that we would get in, but we still wanted to try.

We arrived at 11.30 and there were already 21 people waiting in line before us. The first ones in line had arrived at 8.30! The show only would start at 18.30!

Time passed and the line grew longer and longer. At around 15h we could enter the official waiting area of the studio and the people with a general admission ticket were separated from the ones with a stand-by ticket. We were number 14 and 15 from the stand-by line. Usually for "normal" episodes an average of 30-40 people with stand-by tickets would get in, but since it was one of the last episodes there were just too many VIPs. At some point one of the security guys told us that there was still a chance to get in for the people in line up to nr. 30, so we were positive. We hoped until about 18h20 but then we were given the definitive feedback that there were no free seats for any of the stand-by ticket holders.

What a pity! But it was still an interesting experience!

On the following day we picked up our rental car and drove back to Burbank for a Warner Brothers studio tour. The tour brought us to some of the outdoors and indoors filming locations and shared interesting filming anecdotes of different movies and series, old and new.

We also got to see the sound stage 29 of the series Lethal Weapon and where shown all the tricks and hacks of film making. It was impressive to realize how many things are fake in a movie...

Another interesting thing we saw was the object store, where all the objects used for the movies are stored. Furniture, books, mugs, lamps, phones and the most strangest objects.

We also got to hold a real Oscar! The Oscar was won for the documentary "So much for so little" at the 22nd Academy Awards in 1950.

The film making world is a bit of a magical world, where everything is possible! 

After the studio tour we started our drive towards northern California but we stopped in Paso Robles for the night. We arrived at around 18h and were greeted by our couch surfing hosts Chris and Anna. They took us to a drum circle held in their church. During a drum circle people sit in a circle and play different kind of drums together. On that day there was also the beginning of spring, so the community was celebrating that. It was a different but interesting experience. After that we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant with our hosts.

Florida (11th to 18th of March 2019)

On Monday 11th of March we landed in Orlando, FL. We landed at about 9 pm and went directly to our airbnb. We used Uber to get there, it was our first time and we were surprised how good and fast it works. We spent the following day entirely at Universal Studios. Despite being in March and during the week, it was pretty much crowded. However we got to do most of the rides we wanted. It was so much fun! 

The following day we spent some time at the shopping mall "Mall at Millenia", because we wanted to get a new SIM card and data for the phone. Towards the end of the afternoon we moved to Titusville, which is only 1h away from Orlando and where we stayed until friday 15th of March. This little town is known for the Kennedy Space Centre, which we did not visit since we already saw that during our first trip back in 2011. Instead, we got to see this little, widespread town, the beautiful marina and some interesting shops and good cafes. The highlight of our stay was the launch of the rocket Delta 4 Medium+ (5.4). We were very lucky and were able to see the launch from the apartment of our couch surfing host John. His apartment was in a perfect location, just across Cape Canaveral, on the 10th floor of a building right on the ocean. The launch was originally scheduled for  7 pm, but it got delayed to 8.50 pm, which was actually a good thing because it turned into a night launch. It was truly spectacular and a once in a lifetime experience for us! 

On 15th of March in the evening, we moved towards Sanford, a nice little town north of Orlando. A very nice couch surfing couple hosted us in their RV, a truly unique experience. On Saturday our hosts cooked a nice breakfast, with pancakes and hash browns, then they dropped us off in downtown. We visited Sanford, including the marina near lake Monroe. On that day the city was celebrating St. Patrick's day. A lot of food trucks offered a large variety of foods and beverages, life music was playing and there was also the truck pull contest. Different groups of people had to pull a firetruck the fastest possible over the finishing line. A very American activity, funny to watch.

On Sunday we were again spoilt by our hosts, who bought some very good donuts for breakfast. Then they took us to a very nice hike in the nearby Black Bear Wilderness area. All along the hike we saw a lot of interesting birds and different alligators. The hike was in a forest dominated by palmettos and oaks. It looked very different from the woods we are used to, almost jungle-like. 
After the hike we went back home and our host grilled some awesome veggie burgers with "Swiss?" cheese and mushrooms, with a side of grilled asparagus and tots.
We talked a lot, played games and drank wine, a very nice and cosy afternoon. For dinner we cooked for our hosts and continued playing games.

On Monday 18th we unfortunately had to leave and head to the airport for our flight to Los Angeles, CA. Going to the airport, we got to use the new Sun Rail, a new railway line of the area. This was our first experience with the train in the US! Checked :)

London (7th to 11th of March 2019)

On Friday morning we started the day with a good breakfast at our friend's house Patty before heading with the bus to Covent Garden. This nice market place has a lot of nice crafts and food stands as well as shops and restaurants.
We then strolled towards the Martin-in-the-fields church (near Trafalgar Square) and listened to a concert,  but before we stopped for an Enghlish breakfast for lunch :).
After the concert the weather was turning a bit rainy and cold, so we visited the National Gallery.
In the evening we met up with Patty and another friend who once couch surfed at our place in Sierre. We met at a gaming bar and played some nice board games while eating pizza and drinks. It was really a fun evening.

On our second day Patty brought us to the Broadway market in the East End. The market has a large selection of food from all over the world and also hand crafts. We grabbed something and ate in the nearby park with a background of excellent street music. Since we wanted to eat typical English food we tried Scotch Eggs, boiled eggs wrapped in sausage meat, coated in bread crumbs and fried, served with a side of cole slaw and fries.
After lunch we walked along the Reagent's canal until we reached Victoria Park. The park is very big and we just walked through a small part of it, stopping at Royal Inn for tea and coffee.
Our walk continued and we passed the districts of Bethnal Green and Whitechapel until we reached Brick Lane. The walk was very interesting since we got to see different cultures and styles not far apart from one another. We walked down Brick Lane and admired the numerous pieces of street art, all of them so unique and mysterious. This street is very interesting, since it has been the residence of different ethnical and religious groups, all of which left their marks.
After having stopped in a very nice tearoom, for the afternoon tea, we walked back home.
We closed the day with dinner in a nearby Vietnamese restaurant and with a play of monopoly.

On Sunday the weather was not so nice as on Saturday, it was very windy. For this reason  we avoided walking to the city center but took a bus instead. We went to have a look at the Barbican center, a very interesting building. It is a complex of apartments and public spaces (like a library, schools, convention rooms), built after World War II in the brutalisme style.
We also visited the Museum of London, which is just next to the Barbican center. It is an interesting museum of the history of London, from the Paleolithic until the modern area.
At around 3 pm we stood on top of the walkie-talkie building, in the Sky Garden. From this amazing place we had a great view over London and beyond.

The last stop of the day was King's Cross station, where we wanted to see Harry Potter's platform 9 3/4. However the attraction is pretty disappointing and a huge line was waiting for getting pictures, so we just took a look at the fan shop.
Before getting back home we stopped for a good fish and chips and ginger beers and later in the evening we played another monopoly.

On Monday we left the East End area at around 10AM heading to the airport for our next flight to Orlando, FL.
We really had a nice time in London! We were so lucky to have the chance to stay with our friend Patty, who brought us to very nice non-touristic places and with whom we had so much fun!

Departure (7th of March 2019)

Finally  ready! Ready for our next adventure. This time it's going to be a trip around the world. The plan is to always fly west, visiting different cities and countries, until we come back to Switzerland.

Today, the 7th of March 2019, we are all set and ready to go.

The first stop will be London, were we will stay for 4 days. While in London we have the chance to stay with a dear friend, so we are looking forward to spend some time together.
Is there a better way to start a long trip?

It has been a while since we have been on  longer trip and it is the first one as married couple. It's actually our honeymoon :)